ISRAEL STUDIES COURSES
FALL 2026 | SPRING 2026 | COURSES
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FALL 2026
ISRL 120 Intro to Israeli Literature
Lior Libman | MW 9:45-11:15am | H, GL, FYA, *D, *T | Cross listed: JUST 120, COLI 180P
This survey course introduces students to texts (poems, short stories, novels) and themes (nation-building, conflict, gender constructions, ethnic and religious tensions) in Israeli literature from 1948 to the present. We will place literary works within their historical, cultural and political contexts and examine them to illustrate the main features of the time. Texts will be read in translation. No previous knowledge is required.The course is a Core Course for the Minor in Israel Studies, a Literature Course for the Major/Minor in Hebrew, and an Area Course in Israel Studies for the Major/Minor in Judaic Studies.
ISRL 150 Modern Israel
Shay Rabineau | TR 11:45am-1:15pm | N, FYA | Cross listed: JUST 150, HIST 150, HMRT 289B
This course presents an overview of the history of Israel from its origins in the Zionist movement to the present. Key topics include: political relations and international diplomacy leading to the establishment of the state in 1948; Israel's wars with its neighbors; conflict with the Palestinians; religion and government; internal divisions between Ashkenazic and Sephardi/Mizrachi Jews; and Israeli cultural life. No previous knowledge is assumed or required. Students who had taken the course under the original number will not receive credit for re-taking the course with the new number.
ISRL 180C First-year Arabic I
Farida Badr | Section 01 MTWR 9:45-10:45am, Section 02 MTWR 11am -12pm | WL1, FYA
Cross listed: ARAB 101, ARAB 501
Arabic is the fastest growing language in the United States and the fifth most spoken language in the world. ARAB 101 /ARAB 501 is the first in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language, the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. In this course, students will be introduced to the letters, sounds, and symbols that make up the Arabic writing system, and acquire basic skills in the areas of speaking, reading, writing, and listening. They will develop the ability to speak about themselves, their lives, and their environment; to initiate and sustain conversations on daily-life topics with educated native speakers; to read simple, authentic texts on familiar topics; to write formal notes and sentences on subjects connected to daily life; to comprehend and produce accurately the basic sentence structures of Arabic; and to understand aspects of Arab culture connected to everyday life, including culturally significant idioms used among friends and acquaintances and important expressions for polite interaction with speakers of Arabic. NO PREREQUISITES.
ISRL 227 Israeli Cultures
Talia Katz | TR 9:45-11:15am | N, T, GL, FYA | Cross listed: JUST 227, HMRT 289C, MES 280B, WGSS 280B
This course uses the anthropological method to explore how identity and difference are lived and produced in modern Israel. In contrast to media accounts that often reinscribe generalized figures of 鈥渢he Israeli鈥 or 鈥渢he Palestinian,鈥 this course engages ethnography, social history, film, and literature to investigate the fine grains of experience within a diversity of communities. These include 鈥 but are not limited to 鈥 Holocaust survivors, Palestinian citizens of Israel, the ultra-Orthodox, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, African asylum seekers, and Thai migrant workers. We begin by examining the foundational displacements and migrations that shaped the contours and categories of contemporary Israeli society. We then explore how individuals and communities navigate and respond to these forces in their everyday lives. No prior background required, all are welcome. Note: "Israeli Cultures" is the same course as "Cultures and Society in Israel" and may not be repeated for credit.
ISRL 280C Modern Middle East1800-Present
Kent Schull | MW 9:45-10:45am | I, N, T | Cross listed: JUST 280C, HIST 275, PPL 280E, SOC 280C
The purpose of this course is to trace the history of the Middle East during the 20th century to the present day. Topics to be considered include the integration of the Middle East into the modern world system; the nature, impact, and lasting effects of European imperialism; the legacies of the Ottoman and Qajar Empires for the modern Middle East; World War I and its effects; the origins and evolution of states and the Middle East state system; Decolonization; the Revolutions of Mid-Century; the Arab-Israeli dispute; the effects of oil exploitation; the Iranian Revolution, the recent Arab uprisings, as well as the US relationship to the region.
ISRL 313 Early Zionist Thought
Randy Friedman | TR 9:45-11:15am | H, GL, W | Cross listed: JUST 313
This course will explore early Zionist thought in its historical contexts, focusing on debates between political, cultural, and religious Zionists. The course is intended to provide a grounding in the foundational nineteenth and early twentieth century texts of Zionism and to understand the philosophical and religious background, ideas, consequences (and debates between) some of the various voices in early Zionist thought. Topics and themes will include: emancipation, anti-Semitism, assimilation, sources of authority, models and visions of nation and nationalism, religion and secularism, exile, diaspora, and relation to ancient history and tradition. Students who have taken ISRL 211 or JUST 211 will not receive credit for taking ISRL 313 or JUST 313.
ISRL 346 Encountering Israel & Palestine
Talia Katz | TR 1:30-3:00pm | N, T, O, GL
Cross listed: JUST 386M, ANTH 380B, ARAB 380E, GMAP 381F, HMRT 389X
In this course, we carefully read and analyze ethnographies of Israeli and Palestinian lives, attending to how ethnographic fieldwork challenges dominant narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ethnography, the hallmark knowledge production practice of cultural anthropologists, seeks to describe people鈥檚 everyday lives through long-term, immersive encounters in the field. These encounters last a minimum of twelve months, but may extend decades or a lifetime. What difference does the intimacy and duration of the research process make for what we can know about life in a given place? This course treats the borders of modern nation-states not as fixed containers of Israeli and Palestinian life, but as objects of intellectual inquiry. We read ethnographies of Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon, Israeli diaspora communities in Berlin, and Jewish life in Morocco post-1948 to explore the constitution of identity across space. Topics of study include: catastrophic memory of the Shoah and Nakba, the place of myth and archeology in Israeli nation-building practices, humanitarian aid, how war shapes kinship relations, gender, and more.
ISRL 380C Holocaust Literature
Paul W. Burch | W 4:30-7:30pm | C, H | Cross listed: JUST 341, COLI 380B, ENG 380O
Students in this course read literature of the Holocaust, the Churban, or the Shoah鈥攊ncluding diaries, journals, memoirs, fiction, poetry, and works of popular culture, informed by the belief that literary responses to the Holocaust are, as the poet Paul Celan has written, in themselves "material evidence of thatwhich-occurred." The course includes works by First Generation writers, victims and survivors of the Shoah who bear direct witness to the horror, as well as pieces by Second Generation writers鈥攖hat is, children and 鈥渙ffspring鈥 of Holocaust survivors who bear witness to the witnesses and to events that they did not live through but that shaped their lives. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. Cross-listed with English and Comparative Literature. THIS COURSE IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.
ISRL 425 Hebrew Literature in Hebrew
Lior Libman | MW 1:30-3:00pm | WL3, *H, *D, *T | Cross listed: HEBR 380A
This upper level seminar, conducted in Hebrew, provides students with pre-existing advanced Hebrew language skills the opportunity to engage with literary texts in Hebrew. We will focus on literature written in Israel and which relates major issues in culture and society in Israel from 1948 till today.
* pending GenEds
SPRING 2026
ISRL 180A First-year Arabic II
Farida Badr | Section 01 MTWR 9:45-10:45am, Section 02 MTWR 11:00am-12:00pm | WL2, FYA | Cross listed: ARAB 102
This course is the second in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA),
the language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab
world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language,
the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of
Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. In this
course, students will continue to acquire basic skills in the areas of speaking, reading,
writing, and listening. They will further develop the ability to speak about themselves,
their lives, and their environment; to initiate and sustain conversations on daily-life
topics with educated native speakers; to read simple, authentic texts on familiar
topics; to write formal notes and sentences on subjects connected to daily life; to
comprehend and produce accurately the basic sentence structures of Arabic; and to
understand aspects of Arab culture connected to everyday life, including culturally
significant idioms used among friends and acquaintances and important expressions
for polite interaction with speakers of Arabic. Prerequisite: successful completion
of ARAB 101/501 or the equivalent level of proficiency as determined in advance by
the Undergraduate Director.
ISRL 205 Becoming Israeli
Lior Libman | TR 11:45am-1:15pm | D, H, T, FYA | Cross listed: JUST 205, COLI 280F
At the center of Becoming Israeli stands a protagonist in the process of becoming: a youngster being educated, learning about themselves, about the world, and about life, overcoming obstacles, maturing, forming their identity. In this class, we will explore the thematic and structural characteristics of such narratives, focusing on Israeli examples in their historical and cultural contexts. We will look at tensions between the individual and their society in the moral and psychological development of the protagonist, and will delve into questions of national affinities, class, gender and sexuality in their passage from childhood to adulthood. The course is an Area Course in Literature for the Minor in Israel Studies, a Literature Course for the Major/Minor in Hebrew, and an Area Course in Israel Studies for the Major/Minor in Judaic Studies. First year appropriate.
ISRL 215 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Shay Rabineau | WF 9:45-11:15am | G, N, FYA | Cross listed: JUST 215, HIST 285B, ARAB 280A
Israel-Palestine comprises the territory that lies between the Mediterranean Sea (on the west), Lebanon (in the north), the Gulf of Aqaba and the Sinai Peninsula (on the south) and the Jordan River (on the east). Although it covers a small geographic area and includes a relatively small population (compare present-day Israel's 8 million citizens with Egypt's 90 million), the dispute between the two rival sets of nationalisms which claim the sole right to control this territory has remained at the forefront of international attention for more than half a century. This course will examine the origins of the Arab-Israeli dispute from the mid-nineteenth century through the founding of the state of Israel and expulsion/flight of three quarters of a million Palestinians from their homes till the present day. Among the topics to be examined: the social history of Palestine up to Zionist colonization, the origins of Zionism and Palestinian nationalism, varieties of Zionism, Zionism and colonialism, seminal events and their consequent symbolic connotations (the 1936 "Great Revolt," the 1948 "Nakba" [disaster]) and creation of the state of Israel, the construction of a national consensus in Israel, 1967 and its aftermath, the intifada, and the redefinition of the conflict as a result of Oslo, the second intifada, the security fence, HAMAS, Hizbollah and the Lebanon War. First Year appropriate.
ISRL 227 Israeli Cultures
Talia Katz | TR 1:30-3:00 pm | N, G, T, FYA | Cross listed: JUST 227, ARAB 280D, ANTH 280P, HMRT 289X
This course traces the origins, development, and transformation of the Middle East
and North Africa from the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th Century
CE until the 21st Century. This course will concentrate on the historical evolution
of the Middle East and North Africa in terms of political, religious, cultural, economic,
social, institutional aspects, and its relationship with other major faith and social
traditions throughout the world. While the course is primarily chronological, the
following themes will be emphasized: religious traditions and practice; inter-cultural
exchanges through trade, diplomacy, migrations, and war; legal traditions; the arts;
popular culture; conquest; the impact of European colonization, decolonization, and
the rise of nationalism; gender constructions and the status of women; and the relationship
between religion and politics. Students are assessed through their class participation,
attendance, two-midterm examinations, and a final paper.
ISRL 280A Second-year Arabic II
Farida Badr | MTWR 1:30-2:30pm | WL3, FYA | Cross listed: ARAB 204
ISRL 280A is the fourth in a sequence of courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA),
the language of all official forms of communication and media throughout the Arab
world, the register of Arabic taught in countries where Arabic is an official language,
the liturgical language of more than two billion Muslims worldwide and millions of
Arab Christians, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. In this
course, students will continue to acquire more vocabulary and learn fundamental morphological
and syntactical structures that allow them to express themselves and respond to communication
with ease in predictable situations; request and provide information; write and speak
comprehensibly at the sentence level; read basic texts through making use of contextual
knowledge and familiar vocabulary; and listen to and comprehend simple and straightforward
speech鈥攐ne utterance at a time. As no language exists in a vacuum, learning about
Arab culture will constitute an integral component of this course. Prerequisite: successful
completion of ARAB 203/503 or the equivalent level of proficiency as determined in
advance by the Undergraduate Director.|
ISRL 324 The Kibbutz in Israeli Culture
Lior Libman | TR 3:15-4:45pm | D, H, T | Cross listed: JUST 385B
The course focuses on representations of the kibbutz, a unique Israeli social formation
which aimed at combining Zionism and Socialism, nation-building and the construction
of a new, just society. Throughout the past hundred years, the kibbutz has been portrayed
in countless literary texts and visual images. In this class, we will analyze and
discuss selected literary and cinematic works from different genres and periods to
examine the history of the kibbutz-image and the relationship between it and the kibbutz鈥檚
history, while also asking, in a broader context, how social and political visions
are shaped in, and are shaping, images. Texts will be read in translation. No previous
knowledge is required, but for students who took Intro to Israeli Lit. This course
will be a continuation of their studies. The course is an Area Course in Literature
for the Minor in Israel Studies, a Literature Course for the Major/Minor in Hebrew,
and an Area Course in Israel Studies for the Major/Minor in Judaic Studies.
ISRL 380B Translation, Media & Politics
Ahmad Ayyad | MF 11:45am-1:15pm | H, O, T, W | Cross listed: ARAB 380B, TRIP 380E, GMAP 381C
This course explores the complex intersections of translation, media, and political
discourse in the Middle East. Students will examine how translation practices shape
and are shaped by ideological struggles, contested narratives, and power dynamics
across languages. Drawing on interdisciplinary frameworks from translation studies,
media studies, and political discourse analysis, the course investigates how translation
mediates ideologies, constructs narratives, and challenges power structures within
a region historically shaped by linguistic tensions and geopolitical conflict. Through
critical readings, media analysis, and case studies, students will develop a deeper
understanding of translation as a politically charged act鈥攐ne that not only reflects
but also constructs power relations and political meaning in the Middle East.
ISRL 380C Law & Life: Israel/Palestine
Talia Katz | TR 9:45-11:15am | I, N, D, T, W | Cross listed: JUST 380C, ARAB 380E, HMRT 389X, ANTH 380B, GMAP 381F
This upper-level seminar introduces students to concepts and methods in legal anthropology, focusing on conflict and mass atrocity in Israel/Palestine. As anthropologists in training, we will explore how law both shapes and is shaped by the societies and cultures in which it exists. Topics of study to include: the foundational place of Holocaust trials (e.g. Eichmann, Kastner) in crafting Israeli collective memory, the later shift from criminal to civil law in the adjudication of Nazi genocide, the creation of the Israeli military court system post-1967, the Oslo Peace Process, how international legal institutions as the ICC and ICJ shape local political discourses, and the tensions between the laws of military occupation and armed conflict. We will ask questions such as: what kinds of compromises do witnesses make when they testify to the 鈥榰nspeakable?鈥 What narratives are produced through the process of building a legal case, and how do these narratives reflect broader political or cultural discourses? How do different groups understand the failures of law, and what kinds of new institutions or practices do they create in response?
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